WEEKEND PIC: June 27 - 29 2008

Your Guide To The Weekend Movies

1.THE BANK JOB (crime thriller with Jason Stratham, Saffron Burrows, Daniel Mays and James Faulkner) Rated: * * * (out of 4): You probably haven't seen Stratham in a more serious and more complicated role. Here, he plays a bank vault raider who also has to take on the mob and the Government. (Reviewed below)

2. WANTED (action thriller with James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Mind-boggling stunts accompanied by a mindless plot. Of course, with Jolie and McAvoy, this one is a surefire hit at least for this weekend. (Reviewed below)

3. THE SUN ALSO RISES (drama in Mandarin with Jaycee Chan, Jiang Wen, Joan Chen and Zhou Yun) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): An art-movie for those who like wonderful scenery with stories about Red China. The narrative is set in four parts and it can be confusing but worth a watch. (Reviewed below)

4.THE NANNY DIARIES (social comedy with Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney and Donna Murphy) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): A satirical take on busy modern moms who leave their children to young nannies. Johansson is the main attraction in this 2007 comedy.

5. GET SMART (comedy with Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Terence Stamp and Alan Arkin) Rated * * * (3 stars): This updated remake of the Sixties TV series is actually smart in a dumb way, or vice-versa. Whatever, you do get a few laughs, some eye-popping moments with Hathaway and a generally good time. (Reviewed below)

6. KUNGFU PANDA (animated comedy with voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu) Rated * * * 1/2 (out of 4): Hey guys, there's a new kung fu kid in town and you're gonna love him and his 'buddies', namely the Furious Five. There are some nice spoofs wrapped up in heart-warming cliche of a story. (Reviewed below)

7. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (fantasy adventure with Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson) Rated: * * * (3 stars): This summer's second Marvel Comics adaptation is not quite as engaging as "Iron Man" but there is enough action and plot to satisfy fans. (Reviewed below)

8. RUN FAT BOY RUN (romantic comedy with Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton and Hank Azaria) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Predictable but rather tacky story about a guy trying for a second chance with the his love. Pegg is effective here, though.

9. MADE OF HONOUR (romantic comedy with Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kathleen Quinlan and Sydney Pollack) Rating: * * (2 stars): Weak and tepid rom com that is neither romantic nor funny. Somewhat like 'My Best Friend's Wedding' without the charm of Julia Roberts.

WANTED: Mindless, Numbing Action All The Way

WANTED (action thriller)
Cast: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Time: 110 mins

Rating: * * 1/2 (Out of 4)

McAvoy, Marc Warren and Jolie

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Call this one 'Bend It Like Bekmambetov' because nobody 'bends reality' the way he does. And if you are thinking 'Bend It Like Beckham', yes, this movie is also about bending the flight of a bullet, way, way beyond the manner Becks bends his shots.

Who's Bekmambetov, you ask? Well he's the Russian-Kazakh director who rocked the world with the vampire fantasy 'Night Watch' (2004) and 'Day Watch' (2006) that featured all sorts of crazy stunts like driving a car up a highrise building and parking it right in an office! If you have seen those, you will know who I mean. With those two movies, he seems to have outdone the Wachowski Brothers ('Matrix') in out-of-this-world stunts.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Uh, I dare not say. The plot outline sounds like it is written by a drunk who's also high on mind-bending pills, adapting from a comic book story. There's this loser of an office worker named Wesley (James McAvoy) who meets this cool 'hot chick' named Fox (Angelina Jolie) at the supermarket. She tells him that he is the son of an hotshot assassin from the thousand-year-old 'brotherhood' called the Fraternity - and that it is his destiny to become an assassin himself and avenge his old man's death.

Are you still with me? Fox then takes Wesley to her 'den' where he meets her boss 'Sloan' (Morgan Freeman) and other pro killers. Yeah, they teach Wesley how to bend the bullet and got him to shoot the wings off houseflies! Then, they tell him that it is okay to kill one and save a thousand, and he is let loose on Cross (Thomas Kreschmann), the renegade who is said to have killed his father.

HITS & MISSES: Hits? Sure, there are lots of hits and they all have to do with mindless, over-the-top violence like chases, fights and shootouts. These action sequences are so visually stunning that they cheat the eye and numbs the brain. And each sequence seems to be trying to outdo the previous one - until we get to the awesome breath-withholding train wreck act that makes us wonder how the scenes were done. Oh, yes, there's the scene where Jolie emerges from a bath tub (it's censored but still provocative) like they way her computer-graphics figure did in 'Beuwolf' but here, she's only wearing tattoos. And yes, count her presence as another surefire hit.

Misses? There are plenty too but the chief one is that Bekmanbetov takes his viewers for fools, trying to sell us a plot as ridiculous as this. It's packed with crazy action but a no-brainer of a movie.

THE LOWDOWN: Local action fans are gonna love this one - especially after catching the trailer. Well, go get your brains numbed but don't say you haven't been warned!

THE SUN ALSO RISES: Art Film Trip

THE SUN ALSO RISES (drama)
Cast: Joan Chen, Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan, Zhou Yun and Jiang Wen
Director: Jiang Wen
Time: 118 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (Out of 4)
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? No, this movie is not based on the Ernest Hemingway book. It is a whimsical drama about Communist China of the 1970s, adapted from the novel "Velvet" by Ye Mi. Under the direction of Jiang Wen, it just defies genre classification. We may call it Jiang's ego-trip into arthouse territory, or a mess. However, it is visually stunning if you can just forget about the narrative and coast along with the flow.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? There are four segments. The first, entitled 'Madness' is set in a village in Eastern China in Spring of 1976. It is about a young brigade leader (Jaycee Chan) whose work is constantly interrupted by the antics of his widowed mother (Zhou Yun) who collects stones and digs up trees. Confused over his origins, he starts to piece together his background and finds a shrine-like shelter built by his mom in the forest. Segment Two, titled 'Love' is set in Summer at a campus in Souther China. It is about a teacher, Liang (Anthony Wong), who is accused of groping some women at a night movie screening. Lin (Joan Chen), the sexy mistress of Liang's friend, Tang (Jiang Wen), tries to clear him of the charges.

The third segment, 'Rifle', takes us back to the first venue in Autumn where we find Tang and his wife (Kong Wei), being sent to the countryside for 'rehabilitation' under the brigade leader. The last part, 'Dream', is set in the winter of 1958, in the desert of Xinjiang, western China. It works like a fantasy trip to explain the love affair of the brigade leader's mom, and the mystery of 'Alyosha', the Russian soldier she claims is the boy's father.

HITS & MISSES: With its narrative skipping its way through various parts of China, many viewers will get lost and confused, especially for those who are not familiar with life in communist China. Also, the first segment drags a bit, with repetitive sequences but it is still the most engaging of the lot, while the last is the most complex and messy. It is fortunate that Jiang Wen has such a good cast who help to sustain our interest. Jaycee is lovable as the filial kid; Joan chen is deliciously vampish as Dr Lin, the tramp; Anthony Wong is effective as the object of Dr Lin's lust; and Jiang Wen is commanding as the rifle-toting hunter.

The music and soundtrack are top-notch, with composer Joe Hisaishi providing a lively tone and Jiang's visual details adding colour to the film.

THE LOWDOWN: This dream-like odyssey into the era of Red China is basically for art film lovers.

WEEKEND PIC: June 20 - 22 2008

Your Guide To The Weekend Movies

1.THE BANK JOB (crime thriller with Jason Stratham, Saffron Burrows, Daniel Mays and James Faulkner) Rated: * * * (out of 4): You probably haven't seen Stratham in a more serious and more complicated role. Here, he plays a bank vault raider who also has to take on the mob and the Government. (Reviewed below)

2. GET SMART (comedy with Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Terence Stamp and Alan Arkin) Rated * * * (3 stars): This updated remake of the Sixties TV series is actually smart in a dumb way, or vice-versa. Whatever, you do get a few laughs, some eye-popping moments with Hathaway and a generally good time. (Reviewed below)

3. KUNGFU PANDA (animated comedy with voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu) Rated * * * 1/2 (out of 4): Hey guys, there's a new kung fu kid in town and you're gonna love him and his 'buddies', namely the Furious Five. There are some nice spoofs wrapped up in heart-warming cliche of a story. (Reviewed below)

4. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (fantasy adventure with Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson) Rated: * * * (3 stars): This summer's second Marvel Comics adaptation is not quite as engaging as "Iron Man" but there is enough action and plot to satisfy fans. (Reviewed below)

5. THE HAPPENING (Shyamalan's suspense thriller with Mark Wahlberg and Zoey Deschanel) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Although not the disaster that was "Lady In The Water", it is not quite Happening too as the film is 90 per cent build-up with no satisfying twist at the end. Thankfully, Shyamalan does not have a big onscreen role here. (Reviewed below)

6. MADE OF HONOUR (romantic comedy with Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kathleen Quinlan and Sydney Pollack) Rating: * * (2 stars): Weak and tepid rom com that is neither romantic nor funny. Somewhat like 'My Best Friend's Wedding' without the charm of Julia Roberts. (Pic: Dempsey & Monaghan)

7. THE ORPHANAGE (fantasy horror in Spanish with Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla and Geraldine Chaplin) Rating: * * * (3 stars): If you liked "Pan's Labyrinth", you are gonna like this one. It has a nice storyline that weaves together a number of different plot threads, all of which will come together at the end.

THE BANK JOB: Quite Well Done

THE BANK JOB (crime thriller)

Cast: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays and James Faulkner

Director: Roger Donaldson

Time: 110 mins

Rating: * * *

Stratham & Burrows in THE BANK JOB

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Sex scandals and cover-ups by the higher-ups. Blackmail, Black Power and a bank robbery. Throw in a Soho porn king and some murders and you have the prime ingredients for a pulp crime thriller. However, 'The Bank Job' is not just pulp. It is based on a real life robbery that made front page headlines in 1971 until MI-5 stopped further coverage by the press (on the grounds that it created a danger to National Security), and turning the story into myth and memory. Screenwriters Dick Clement and Ian Lefrenais, supposedly collaborating with anonymous sources, try to fill in the gaps with this movie. Although what we see in 'The Bank Job' is speculative, it has a ring of truth and fits in with the facts.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? MI5 agent Tim Everett (Richard Lintern) is after the contents of safety deposit box 118 of a Baker Street bank vault in London. It has compromising pictures of Princess Margaret that are being used to blackmail the government. He in turn 'blackmails' Martine Love (Saffron Burrows) into rounding up a gang to pull of the bank vault job and she picks Terry Leather (Jason Statham), a garage owner who is deep in debt to a loanshark. Everett and his bosses feel that such an amateur like Terry could easily be disposed of.

While Terry and his crew dig a tunnel into the vault, he begins to suspect that there's more to the vault caper than his old flame Martine has told him...

HITS & MISSES: Unlike most of Statham's action movies, this one is the most complex, weaving together many subplots, including police corruption, dirty tactics by MI5, hard-core criminal activity (including murder and extortion) and, of course, the bank caper itself. And yes, among all of Statham's movies, this is one where the audience will root for him most. His Terry is a doting father and a caring husband. Burrows provides the usual touch of femme fatale with a lot of intrigue.
The movie opens with a naked frolic in the water (part of which is censored) but its purpose will become apparent when Black activist Michael X (Peter De Jersey) is thrown into the mix.

THE LOWDOWN: An engaging story and gripping action all the way.

GET SMART: Clever Remake

GET SMART (spy comedy)
Cast: Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Terence Stamp and Alan Arkin
Director: Peter Segal
Time: 110 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Quick, whip out your shoe and call your friends: that blundering secret agent Maxwell Smart is coming to town! On second thoughts, forget it. That shoe-phone gag is so Sixty-ish that it may as well be Jurassic. Still, for those who have caught Smart on TV reruns, it was the one object that defined the whole series. With this screen version, Get Smart gets a new lease on life - thanks to Steve Carrell, the one comedian who seems to be able to make the franchise work again.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? 'Get Smart' was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry and the original TV series ran from 1965 to 1970, starring the deadpan Don Adams as Maxwell Smart. Much of the humour was based on goofy puns and good-natured slapstick about how Smart, who works for CONTROL, tries to outwit the Soviet baddies of KAOS. Now that the Cold War is over, CONTROL analyst Smart (Carrell) discovers that someone in Russia is selling nukes to unstable governments.

Smart, who has longed to become a field agent, gets his chance after CONTROL's offices are attacked and their top agents are compromised. Teaming up with the gorgeous Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), Smart must find the KAOS guy (Terence Stamp) and stop his plan to nuke America.

HITS & MISSES: The TV series had always capitalised on utterly silly gags (and Adams' deadpan expression) to get the laughs. However, after so many decades of 'utterly silly' jokes, they have ceased to be funny. The scripters Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember must have realised this for they have updated the plot and comedy, tossed in a bit of wit and character history (like an overweight Smart) and relied a whole lot on the popular appeal of Carrell and Hathaway. And it pays off. As Agent 99, Hathaway looks even more glamorous than she did in 'The Devil Wears Prada', giving her character the touch of feminine warmth that works wonders on the audience. It is unfortunate that their dialogue and verbal sparring sound a bit lame. 'The Rock' Johnson, Alan Arkin, Ken (Borat) Davitian and Masi Oka (of Heroes fame) each managed to bring some mirth, if not laughter, to their role.

THE LOWDOWN: Catching this may not be the Smartest thing to do, but it is a whole lot wiser than going for 'Superhero Movie'.

WEEKEND PIC: June 13 - 15 2008

Your Guide to the Weekend Viewing

1. KUNGFU PANDA (animated comedy with voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu) Rated * * * 1/2 (out of 4): Hey guys, there's a new kung fu kid in town and you're gonna love him and his 'buddies', namely the Furious Five. There are some nice spoofs wrapped up in heart-warming cliche of a story. (Reviewed below)

2. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (fantasy adventure with Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson) Rated: * * * (3 stars): This summer's second Marvel Comics adaptation is not quite as engaging as "Iron Man" but there is enough action and plot to satisfy fans. (Reviewed below)

3. THE HAPPENING (Shyamalan's suspense thriller with Mark Wahlberg and Zoey Deschanel) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Although not the disaster that was "Lady In The Water", it is not quite Happening too as the film is 90 per cent build-up with no satisfying twist at the end. Thankfully, Shyamalan does not have a big onscreen role here. (Reviewed below)

4. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (fantasy adventure with Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen and John Hurt) Rating: * * * (3 stars): Nostalgic Indy Jones trip with the usual spectacular chases, cute close-ups of little animals and bugs, and a bit of human melodrama. After a 19-year hiatus, it should still delight Indy Jones fans despite Ford being 65! (Reviewed below)

5. THE ORPHANAGE (fantasy horror in Spanish with Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla and Geraldine Chaplin) Rating: * * * (3 stars): If you liked "Pan's Labyrinth", you are gonna like this one. It has a nice storyline that weaves together a number of different plot threads, all of which will come together at the end.

6. AMAZING GRACE (bio-drama with Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Rufus Sewell, Nicholas Farrell, Michael Gambon, Albert Finney and Ciaran Hinds) Rated * * * (3 stars): It is not about the hymn but some sort of a history lesson on one man's bid to abolish slavery in Britain. Great supporting cast, though. (Reviewed below)

7. SUPERHERO MOVIE (comedy spoof with Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald and Pamela Anderson) Rated * 1/2 (1.5 stars): This spoof of "Spider-Man", "The X-Men" and "Batman Begins" is another scatterbrain comedy with more misses than hits. The timing is out most of the time and fart gags abound. (Reviewed below)

INCREDIBLE HULK: No Wit Just Hulk

THE INCREDIBLE HULK (fantasy thriller)
Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt
Director: Louis Leterrier
Time: 112 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)


WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? If Marvel Comics fans were put off by Ang Lee's rendition of HULK five years ago, they can take heart that they have got it right, this time around. It has paid off for Marvel Studios to get back to the drawing board for a total reboot of the Hulk franchise (created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby way back in 1962). This remake is not that Incredible, but enough to keep the fans entertained.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Dr Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is still desperately seeking a cure for the gamma radiation that poisoned his body, causing him to transform into a massive green Hulk. He is forced to live as a fugitive in order to stay one step ahead of his nemesis, General “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), who will stop at nothing to track him down.

Ross wants to tap into Banner's indestructible power in a bid to create a new weapon. Helping Ross is Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), a fearless Super Soldier whose lust for power eventually transforms him into the deadly Abomination (who made his debut in Tales to Astonish No. 90 way back in 1967). Banner's only hope lies with Dr “Betty” Ross (Liv Tyler), the General's estranged daughter, who must help him find a balance between living a peaceful life as Bruce Banner and a rampaging one as the mean green guy.

HITS & MISSES: Director Louis Leterrier (who gave us the “Transporter” movies) not only piles up on the action and stunts, he also keeps the movie fun and tongue-in-cheek, toying with the character's mythology, particularly the one found in the TV series that starred Bill Bixby. Some of the action stunts looked like they were copied from the Bourne films. The TV theme song is audible in Craig Armstrong's musical score, and Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk on TV in the 70s, adds a nice touch in a cameo and also provides the voice for the Hulk.

Of course, the better part of the movie is the'Beauty and the Beast'-type relationship that develops between Betty Ross and the Hulk, which can be as touching as the bond that develops between Ann Darrow and King Kong.

THE LOWDOWN: Well, not quite as solid as Iron Man, but wild enough to please the fans.

'S'kali Director Shooting 2 Movies in KL

INDIE film-maker Arivind Abraham is back in KL to shoot two movies back-to-back with his freind Benji Lim. Arivind, who directed "S'kali" in 2006, arrived from London at his parents' home early last month to shoot a horror movie titled "5:13" and a road trip film, tentatively named "The Joshua Tapes".

Shooting for "5:13", which starred Samantha Tan, has been wrapped, and Arivind and crew are shooting scenes for "Joshua Tapes" around Taman Tun Dr Ismail (pictured above) and Sierra Emas in Sungai Buloh. The shooting for the 'road trip' will take them as far as Kuantan. Also, it is learnt that most of the scenes of "Joshua Tapes" are shot outdoors - or inside a vehicle.

Details to follow later...

THE HAPPENING: No, It's Not Happening

THE HAPPENING (suspense thriller)
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo and Betty Buckley
Writer-Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Time: 85 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and Ashley Sanchez

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? As writer-director of suspense thrillers, M. Night Shyamalan is 'not happening' anymore. He had shown such promise in his first trilogy of 'Sixth Sense', 'Unbreakable' and 'Signs' (his best, so far). Then it was all the way downhill from 'The Village' (2004) to 'Lady In The Water' (2006) and now this. 'The Happening', however, is not a train wreck of a movie. It is just that it is all build-up culminating in a disappointing 'pay-off'. Why, we don't even get a proper twist at the end that gives us the goose bumps.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? First, it starts with Central Park in New York. Out of the blue, people start killing themselves, committinbg suicide in all sorts of ways. Then the phenomenon spreads to Philadelphia, and to the small towns on the West Coast of the USA. Speculations abound. Some claim it is a neuro-toxin attack released by terrorists. Others blame the CIA for its clandestine biological experiment gone wrong.

Meanwhile, hordes of New Yorkers are leaving the city for 'safer' areas and among them are college science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his estranged wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel), his friend, maths teacher Julian (John Leguizamo) and his daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez). Of course, they soon find that there are very few safe places left...

HITS & MISSES: Well, there are one or two jump-out-of-your-skin moments in the 70 minutes of suspense and build-up. However, many of the situations seem ridiculous and implausible, while some scenes even show the microphone hovering over the cast and shattering whatever suspense or illusion that Shyamalan tries to build-up. Shyamalan shows his main characters running away from some deadly threat but nobody knows what it is. Then when he pins it down for us, we find that this 'evil' is illogically selective of its victims, picking on everyone except the lead characters.

Also, this is one Shyamalan movie with the most lame lines as well as several misdirections. The one thing we can be thankful for is that Shyamalan's mandatory cameo role here (as Joey) is not as intrusive and distracting as it was in 'Lady In The Water'. He must have found out that he had been 'wooden' in that 'Lady In The Water' role. But not this lead cast, though. Wahlberg and Deschanel give all they have to make themselves credible and Betty Buckley is at her weirdest as the eccentric Mrs Jones. It is just that the script is incredulous and even self-indulgent.

THE LOWDOWN: Looks like Shyamalan's got three misses already. He's out for the count.

WEEKEND PIC June 6 - 8 2008

Your Guide to the Weekend Viewing

1. KUNGFU PANDA (animated comedy with voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu) Rated * * * 1/3 (out of 4): Hey guys, there's a new kung fu kid in town and you're gonna love him and his 'buddies', namely the Furious Five. There are some nice spoofs wrapped up in heart-warming cliche of a story. (Reviewed below)

2. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (fantasy adventure with Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen and John Hurt) Rating: * * * (3 stars): Nostalgic Indy Jones trip with the usual spectacular chases, cute close-ups of little animals and bugs, and a bit of human melodrama. After a 19-year hiatus, it should still delight Indy Jones fans despite Ford being 65! (Reviewed below)


3. THE ORPHANAGE (fantasy horror in Spanish with Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla and Geraldine Chaplin) Rating: * * * (3 stars): If you liked "Pan's Labyrinth", you are gonna like this one. It has a nice storyline that weaves together a number of different plot threads, all of which will come together at the end.

4. AMAZING GRACE (bio-drama with Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Rufus Sewell, Nicholas Farrell, Michael Gambon, Albert Finney and Ciaran Hinds) Rated * * * (3 stars): It is not about the hymn but some sort of a history lesson on one man's bid to abolish slavery in Britain. Great supporting cast. (Reviewed below)

5. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (fantasy adventure sequel with William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley and Ben Barnes) Rated * * * (out of 4): Like the book, this 'sequel' is a darker and more action-packed movie with great special effects. A must for the followers of Narnia. (Reviewed below)

6. SUPERHERO MOVIE (comedy spoof with Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald and Pamela Anderson) Rated * 1/2 (1.5 stars): This spoof of "Spider-Man", "The X-Men" and "Batman Begins" is another scatterbrain comedy with more misses than hits. The timing is out mot of the time and fart gans abound. (Reviewed below)

7. SPEED RACER (CGI actioner with Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman and Susan Sarandon) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This 'loud' CGI-enhanced caper about corporations and the underworld muscling into auto racing is like a mix of "Spy Kids" and "Matrix". Helmed by the Wachowski Brothers, it is slanted towards the kids, with a chimp thrown in as resident clown. (Reviewed below).

AMAZING GRACE: A History Lesson

AMAZING GRACE (bio-drama)
Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Rufus Sewell, Nicholas Farrell, Michael Gambon, Albert Finney and Ciaran Hinds
Director: Michael Apted
Time: 115 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

(Gruffold and Garai)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? I am tempted to tag this 2006 movie as a history lesson about one man's bid to abolish the slave trade in England. While there are interesting bits here and there, especially about the atrocities committed to the African slaves, much of the film is presented like a documentary, with minimal character development.


WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The story opens in 1797 and, through flashbacks, covers a 25-year span between 1782 and 1807. It is about the efforts of Parliamentary abolitionist William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), who was the driving force behind Britain's ban on slavery (which was enforced in 1807). Wilberforce's main battleground is the English Parliament, where small group of allies (including Nicholas Farrell and Michael Gambon) square off against the pro-slavery MPs (including Ciaran Hinds and Toby Jones). There is also a romantic interlude involving the young and beautiful Barbara (Romola Garai), whose passion for William's crusade lead them to the altar. In a subplot, Rufus Sewell plays Thomas Clarkson, an abolitionist and revolutionary who pushes William to use his power to help the slaves.

HITS & MISSES: Despite attempts to 'embellish' his character, Gruffold comes across as a dour do-gooder whose only fault is that he becomes depressed when he can't change the world overnight. Romola Garai brightens up the narrative whenever she appears but she is wasted, with just a few scenes. Still, there is an impressive supporting cast of respected British actors. Albert Finney is remarkable as John Newton, the reformed slave trade captain who composed the titular hymn "Amazing Grace". Michael Gambon is Sir Charles Fox, the abolitionists' most respected supporter. Ciaran Hinds, who played Julius Caesar in the HBO series 'Rome' (of which Michael Apted directed three episodes) has a couple of scenes as Lord Tarleton but basically, their talents seem squandered with so little to do.

THE LOWDOWN: Mainly for those who like British epics.

KUNG FU PANDA: Hail The New Martial Art Kid

KUNG FU PANDA (animated comedy in English and Cantonese in selected cinemas)

Voices: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu

Directors: Mark Osborne and John Stevenson

Time: 90 mins

Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Watch out guys, there is a new kung fu kid in town and his name is Po (pictured above). Just Po! And voiced by Jack Black as the roly-poly panda who dreams of being a bodacious kung fu fighter, he is set to win the hearts of not only the children but also most adults who have ever watched a martial arts movie. He is that fun... and funny! "Kung Fu Panda" is also available locally in Cantonese dialogue, featuring the voices of Hong Kong's three famous Chans: Eason, Jackie and his son, Jaycee.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Somewhere in ancient China, a village is all excited by the upcoming announcement of a new Dragon Warrior who will inherit a Sacred Scroll and receive unimaginable powers. The announcement is to be made by the Yoda-like turtle sage Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) at his mountain temple and young panda Po is asked by his father (James Hong as Mr Ping, the goose) to take the noodle cart up there and hawk their noodles.
Po has trouble climbing the steps leading to the temple - and by the time he gets to the top, the event has started and the doors are closed. One thing leads to another and Po is 'accidentally' picked to be the Dragon Warrior instead of a member of the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross) and Mantis (Seth Rogen). These five are all martial arts prodigies who have trained under the diminutive wolf Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Now Po faces a grave problem: He has to train hard, learn the secret of the Dragon Scroll, and fight against the fearsome Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a kung fu master so resourceful that he is able to escape from a mountain prison manned by 1,000 guards!

HITS & MISSES: The scripters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger have kept the plot elementary so that it would appeal to the young 'uns. Its message, that we must believe in ourselves, has been done so often that it is a cinematic cliche. Still, it works here, thanks to the appeal of Jack Black. They have also stuck to the Chinese martial arts traditions for the storyline, poking fun at them and delighting kung fu fans young and old. With animation, any stunt is possible and directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson go all out with seemingly impossible ones - all without the need for 'wire-fu'.

Technically, the scenes and 'locations' are breath-taking. The characters are all well-drawn, with minor details like the pudgy Po's wobbly abdomen, Shifu's facial expressions, etc. However, the most important aspect of the movie is that the audience can 'connect' emotionally and spiritually with the animal characters - yes, even with the villain Tai Lung.

THE LOWDOWN: There's no doubt about it, Po the kung fu panda is set to kick up a storm in cinemas all over Malaysia.